MVP Message

Preacher: Rev. Michael A. Parker II

Scripture: ⁠Psalm 139:1–14

What does it mean to say yes to who God created us to be?

This week we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us, as we welcome Rev. Michael A. Parker from Asbury UMC in Annapolis. Drawing from Psalm 139:1–14, Rev. Michael will invite us to reflect on the God who knows us fully, searches us deeply, and creates us wonderfully.

Psalm 139 reminds us that before we ever create, perform, serve, or prove anything, we are already known by and beloved to God. Our lives themselves are works of divine artistry, shaped with care, wonder, and holy intention. In a world that often teaches us to question our worth, hide our gifts, or shrink back from who we are, this Psalm offers the sacred affirmation that we are fearfully and wonderfully made.

Join us this episode as we discover how saying “yes” to God’s creative work in us can open the door to deeper joy, greater courage, and a fuller expression of the gifts God has placed within each of us.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Wanda Bynum Duckett

Scripture: Jeremiah 29:1-11

What can poetry teach us about hope?

This week we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us, as we welcome guest preacher Rev. Dr. Wanda Bynum Duckett. Drawing from Jeremiah 29:1–11, Wanda will explore the power of creative resistance through the arts of poetry and the spoken word.

Written to a people living in exile, Jeremiah's letter calls God's people to seek life, cultivate hope, and imagine a future beyond the circumstances that surround them. Through the spoken-word tradition of Sacred Slam Poetry, Rev. Dr. Duckett will invite us to consider how creativity can become an act of faithfulness and help us tell the truth, sustain hope, and proclaim God's promises even in difficult times.

Join us in this episode as we discover how God continues to inspire courage, imagination, and new possibilities through the creative gifts placed within each of us.

Preacher: Rev. Charles Anderson-Gray

Scripture: Psalm 33:1-12

What can jazz teach us about faith?

This week we welcome Rev. Charles Anderson-Gray as we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us. Drawing from Psalm 33 and the invitation to "sing a new song" and play skillfully before God, Charles will explore how music offers a powerful image for the spiritual life—one rooted in listening, trust, creativity, and faithful improvisation.

Join us as we discover how God's Spirit continues to create something beautiful through our lives, even when the music isn't written out in advance.

Preacher: Katherine Burns, Member of the MVP Community

Scripture: Genesis 1:1-2:4a

What does it mean to create with God in the midst of chaos? In a world shaped by exhaustion, noise, division, and uncertainty, it can be easy to mistake unfinishedness for failure or to assume that God only shows up once everything is clear and complete.

Join us in this episode as we begin a new worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us, as we turn to the opening story of Genesis and reflect on the God who creates beauty within what is formless, unfinished, and unresolved. Together, we’ll consider how creativity is not limited to artists, musicians, or writers, but is part of what it means to be made in the image of a Creator—bringing beauty, kindness, honesty, hope, and life-giving possibility into the world. Listen in, reflect, and discover how God might still be calling light out of darkness in us and through us today.

Preacher: Lee Schriber Aber, Minister of Engagement & Discipleship

Scripture: Acts 2:1-21 & 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13

What does it mean to truly understand one another? In a world shaped by division, suspicion, and noise, we long for connection that goes deeper than words alone. Where do we encounter a love capable of crossing the boundaries that so often separate us?

Join us for this Pentecost Sunday episode as we turn to the stories of Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12, and reflect on how the Holy Spirit brings people together across all sorts of barriers. As we again hear the story of the birth of the Church—formed from many voices into one body—we’ll consider what it means to truly hear one another and to live as a community shaped by the love of God. Come as you are to reflect and discover what the Spirit may yet be speaking to us today.

Preacher: Sam Pannell || Chair, Strategy, Accountability, and Leadership Table (SALT)

Scripture: Psalm 96

This week we conclude our 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination:

"The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections."

In Psalm 96, we hear the call to sing a new song, proclaim God’s salvation, and declare God’s glory among all peoples. As we close this series, we reflect on what it means to be disciples who are not only shaped by God’s love, but sent into the world as witnesses to God’s renewing work. How is God calling us to live out our faith beyond the walls of the church? Where are we being invited to embody hope, justice, and grace in our communities and beyond?

Join us in this episode as we explore what it means to be disciples who help transform the world and consider how the Holy Spirit sends us to love boldly by sharing God’s grace with others, serve joyfully by participating in God’s healing work in the world, and lead courageously by bearing witness to God’s reign in our communities and beyond.

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern

Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-20

This week we continue a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination:

"The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections."

When faced with leadership that falsely misaligns itself with the Gospel, how do we courageously lead resistance? How do we faithfully lead in our lives, mindful to not replace God's will with our own? Where do we find the courage to do the "right thing" and the wisdom to know that it's right? Join us as grapple with this questions and explore the "armor of God" as a call to lead with courage. 

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern

Scripture: Psalm 100 & Mark 10:42-45

This week we continue a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination:

"The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections."

How do we serve joyfully in a world that is deeply hurting? What is the source of your joy? We are often told that our status, our power, or possessions will bring joy, but what if true, everlasting joy comes from somewhere deeper? Join us this week as we discover the ways we are formed by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit to serve joyfully in our local communities and through worldwide connections. 

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern

Scripture: Mark 12:28-34

This week we continue a 6-week journey exploring the new guiding vision of our denomination:

"The United Methodist Church forms disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections."

What does it actually look like to love boldly? Is love enough? Is it possible that love for God and one another is the answer? Join us this week as we use Jesus' teaching in the book of Mark on the Greatest Commandment to explore these questions and discover what it might look like to love boldly and without reservation. 

Preacher: Grace Rogers, Howard & Mary Martin Ministry Intern

Scripture: Acts 2:14, 36-47

Do you see the Holy Spirit active in your life? What does it mean to be empowered by the Holy Spirit? Join us this week as we explore the work of the Holy Spirit in the earliest church and discover where the Spirit is working in our lives today, empowering us to love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously.